TENDER MERCIES

Yesterday I had to make 240 fruit skewers for a wedding of one of my ex-Seminary students.  I had 3 people that originally signed up to help me, and I had 2 more ladies come over to help too.  I had stressed about this, since the sealing was at 11am and we were supposed to do the fruit at 1pm.  I had a granddaughter's birthday party at 3:30 and had to have the fruit up to the church by 5:30.  I was borrowing some platters from a friend of mine who is a caterer, but she had 2 catering jobs Thursday and Friday.  She was supposed to call me when I could come pick up the platters.  She didn't call. Friday night I called her again.  No answer.  Saturday morning I woke up at 4am with a panic attack, wondering what I was going to do.  I decided that I'd get up early and shower and get dressed and go to the store and BUY some platters and then go on over to the wedding.  At 8:30am my friend called and said she didn't get the platters back until 10pm.  She said she was going out of town in a little bit and would drop them off at my house.  So I got up and got dressed and waited.  And waited.  And. Waited.  The wedding was at 11:00 but I needed to be there by 10:45 at the latest and it was a 30 minute drive.  I didn't make it.  She didn't show up until after 10:30.  So I missed the wedding, but I had the platters.
I decided to take advantage of being home and started on some laundry (in preparation of going on vacation in 2 days) and also started the fruit preparation early.  By the time the ladies got there, I had washed the first sets of fruit, cut the tops off the strawberries, and cut up the watermelon.  We made those 240 fruit skewers (cantaloupe, grapes, watermelon, pineapple and a strawberry on the end) in an hour and a half.  The ladies left and in another 20 minutes I had cleaned up the dishes and the kitchen with time to sit and put my feet up before my granddaughters party. 
I went to her party - a Fairy Party, where each little girl got a fairy skirt, headband, wings and magic wand, and the little boys got shorts with "leaves" stitched across the legs, and "leaf anklets" to wear, as well as wings and magic wands for them.  Tinkerbelle was there and the kids got their pictures taken with her. Everything was so cute and we had lots of fun watching the kids! I had to leave before the cake and ice cream, but I was there an hour and a half and got to see her open her presents.  I went home and changed into a skirt, took the fruit to the church, went through the reception line to congratulate the bride and groom, and went home.  My husband and I got a bite to eat, I did more laundry and we loaded the truck with all the junk we're taking on vacation (fishing gear, 2 one-man boats, canopy, lawn chairs).  Then I went back to the church, picked up my empty dishes and came home and finished the laundry. 
As I was driving home from the reception (the 2nd time) I thought to myself, "See, why do you panic?  Everything works out.  See how blessed you are?"  The Lord knows who we are, He knows what we do and what is important to us.  He blesses us with "tender mercies" over and over and over.  We just have to recognize them.
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